Her Hardest Request
by Little Falcon
Summary: InoShika... She's known to demand the most outrageous things... but what request did she ask the even Shikamaru himself cannot accomplish.


**Her Hardest Request**

_A/N: Minna-san it's my first time writing a fiction that's totally centralized on the Ino-Shika paring so please read and review._

"Ino, the truth is everyone's just going to hurt you… you just have to decide who's worth the pain," her pink haired friend said with a stern expression on her face. She knew what "pain" is. In fact, it surprised her that this person right beside her… offering her advice, was able to move on with life in general after being blatantly rejected and left by the person she had grown to love all her life.

Yamanaka, Ino is Konoha's most wanted bachelorette since well… her friend like the Hyuuga heiress, Hinata had married the dog-nin, Kiba; the weapon specialist, Tenten is engaged to her teammate, Hyuuga, Neji and her best friend Sakura is dating the kazekage of Suna, Gaara. The truth is… almost all men wanted to date her but her fiery personality isn't really what men like to risk their necks for. This blond kunoichi is well-known for her lashing tongue and insatiable demands that it surprised many to know that one of her teammates which is probably the most laid-back shinobi of Konoha, was able to meld with her so well.

So here she is asking her friends about a certain someone about a certain topic. "Really now, how will I know if he's the right one?" Ino leaned her chin on her elbows followed by a difficult sigh. Her three kunoichi friends looked at her and smiled. "You don't…" Hinata's grey eyes reflected her sincerity. "Not right away…" Tenten supported the Hyuuga's statement. "Huh?" this made her more confused than ever. _Maybe it was a mistake asking them… after all they are so deeply in love. _

"Okay, let me put it this way. Someday you'll meet someone. He'll look straight into your eyes and tell you you're beautiful. It would surprise you that among all the boys who told you that same line, this person has that effect on you that you can't explain and for the first time in your life… you believe him." she had to hand it to her best friend, that was the answer she was looking for. Though that person did utter those words in the most unexpected situation, nevertheless the effects of his words were genuinely… unpredictable.

_Flashback…_

Team Azuma were assigned to a class A mission. Being all chunins in the team, they thought it was going to be easy, protecting a certain daimyo. Within minutes, their expectations crumbled at their feet, as a small army of specialized shinobi attacked the daimyo's mansion. There were some chunins and the rest were genins but still it was one what you would call a one-sided battle.

Kunais and shurikens flew as fire started to crawl around the mansion. "Shika!" a voice yelled as she saw several blades thrown in his direction. With her rage seeing the shadow master severely injured, she sprinted behind them and slit their throats.

Trained with emergency medical jutsu, she started treating his bloody wounds. "What happened to your well-planned moves? This isn't like you Shikamaru!" she asked sarcastically with her signature authoritative tone as she made fast hand seals.

His wounds are deep; it would take a lot of chakra just to prevent them from bleeding. Blood, sweat, grime and dirt covered her body as she placed her hand over his skin. "Ino… I didn't notice up until now… how beautiful you are," his battered hand caressed her soft cheeks.

Her sapphire orbs widen in surprise at his statement. Those words were often said by a lot of boys but none made her heart skip or even given the situation… made her mood composed. Shikamaru the renowned woman hater openly gave her a compliment. Still his timing wasn't exactly what you would call perfect. They were in the middle of a battle for crying out loud and he was near dying. How would he expect her to respond?

The blond didn't know whether to panic or to sigh in relief as she saw him faint. It wasn't like he was dead or anything. As he was there in her arms, she stared at him. _If you weren't injured like a while ago… would you have said those words? Did you really mean it? _ The fire has receded and the enemies retreated, their mission was done.

_End of Flashback…_

_Women make thing complicated. _The clouds leisurely moved around their blue playground as a certain shinobi lies on a patch of grass. Their previous mission played back in his head and he can't help but blush. Literally, he shook his head in an effort to try to remove her out of his mind. "I didn't notice up until now, how beautiful you are?! What kind of idiot would say that?!" he can't help but feel idiotic… he was acting like a love-struck puppy.

Thank god those words were the only thing his uncontrollable mouth let out. If he stayed in that state for a while longer, he would have said _something else. _In their time together as teammates, he grew fond of the way she gets angry with little things and how she apologizes right away if she understood her wrong. The thought of her being more than a friend was pushed at the most forgotten part of his mind knowing that women are _troublesome. _And now as a play of fate, he blurted out something unnecessary.

Still though his vision was growing blurry that time, he saw how her blue eyes reflected something… good (according to his interpretation). For the last three days, the look on her face when he spoke those words was all he saw. There was not a minute that passed that he failed to think of her, of what might she thinking of him.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ino and her friends were having a lively discussion when suddenly the blond fell unconscious. Upon healer's instinct, the pink haired kunoichi immediately inspected her. Her green orbs widen in shock, "Take her to Hokaga-sama! Right now!" she exclaimed knowing her friend's condition.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Sakura… could you repeat that again?" her voice shook unconsciously as her mind tried register what the medical examination revealed. Her pink haired friend clutched the clipboard she was holding as her eyes avoided hers. "That can't be right?" in truth, she knew Sakura would never be wrong especially when it came to the field of medicine. It's just that there are things she can't accept although she understood it clearly.

Sakura watched her back as her blond friend walked out of the hospital. Tears blinded her vision but she did not dare let Ino see her cry. There was a tap on her shoulder. Slowly turning around, she saw her sensei also looking at Ino. "Things like this happen… we have a capacity to treat wounds but not all can be saved," Upon hearing this, Sakura's tears trickled ceaselessly down her cheeks as she fell on her knees.

It was a beautiful sunny day outside the hospital; not a rain cloud in sight. Raising her eyes to the open sky, she wandered around the village. Her feet took her to a clearing in the middle of the forest.

Suddenly her body felt so heavy so she laid down on the patch of grass, stared at the sky until her eyes decided to rest. In her dreams, she felt so comfortable. She felt protected. It was as if she can do anything because someone was always there to back her up. Memories of their genin days played back in her subconscious mind. Tears flowed from her closed eyes.

Feeling someone's touch, she gradually opened her eyes. At that moment, she wanted to close her eyes again and pretend she didn't wake at all. Right before her was the very person she was trying to avoid. She fought back the tears that threatened to form by briskly blinking her eyelids.

Confusion was only the tip of the iceberg. What he was feeling now was… troublesome and every time he gets this ticked off of his self debates he would seek the sanctuary of his secret clearing. To his surprise, someone was there sleeping at his spot. Approaching the intruder, his heart stopped as he took note of her long blond hair and her petite body. _Ino! What is she doing here? _

He was about to complain mentally about Ino taking his spot of something but when he saw her cheeks glistening with tears. All thoughts abandoned him. A certain protective feeling overcame the reasons of his high IQ as he sat beside the sleeping girl and wiped away her tears.

"You'll get a cold if you sleep here," his confusion grew as he saw the painful expression in her eyes as she saw him. Something inside him felt like breaking. He had difficulty in breathing and his heart was slamming against his ribcage wanting to get out. He was afraid of what she was going to say.

"Shika… I like you," she said casually as if it was just a hello or good night. His high IQ began screaming words into his head as heart skipped as if it leaped a thousand heights. "I would understand if you don't like…" Ino's statements were but short when Shikamaru crushed his lips against hers.

The moment their lips touched everything vanished… reasons were forgotten… hearts connected… feelings were revealed.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Shika, do you still think women are troublesome?" Ino asked cheerfully as they sat on the same patch of grass. It had been a week since they started dating and all the doubts and fears were put aside. "What made you ask that?" his thin eyebrow rose questionably. "I think you can't live a day without thinking of me," she said out of the blue. "Huh, that's pretty confident of you," he laid his back on the grass as he stared at the clouds.

"Let's play a dare," Ino's face blocked his view. "What kind of dare?" he asked lazily. "I dare you not to think of me for one day," she smiled at him. "And what would that prove?" "Nothing," her reply was as he expected it to be.

The shadow master exhaled helplessly as he listened to her explanation "I have a technique that allows me to know what you're thinking so you can't cheat. We'll start tomorrow," how can he saw no when she's giving him her brightest smile. "I love you so much Shika," "Same here,"

_The day after tomorrow… _

Shikamaru immediately went to Ino's house. How he missed her. It was very difficult to divert his attention to something else when all he can think about was her. But in the end of the day, he managed to do her dare. It was something he would brag about especially with her.

Arriving at her place, he was greeted by a crowd on her doorway. The whole gang was there and as they saw him their eyes avoided his. Only the pink haired kunoichi had the courage to him and hand him something.

Recognizing Ino's handwriting, he quickly opened the envelope and read the letter.

_Shika,_

_Congratulations! You did it! You lived a day without me. Now all you have to do is repeat it again everyday._

The paper was quickly crumpled in his fist. "What's this supposed to mean?! Where is she?!" the shinobi known for his unbreakable temper was shaking the answers out of the poor kunoichi.

"Shikamaru!" a commanding voice woke him up as he was forced to release Sakura by a pair of strong hands. The Kazekage glared at the shadow master as he stood in front of her kunoichi. "Gaara," the kunoichi held his arm to control the sand master's temper.

Looking at Shikamaru, the medical kunoichi stepped forward and explained professionally "A week ago Ino was diagnosed with an untreatable sickness. Her chakra was consuming her systems rapidly…" unable to speak Sakura further she looked at the ground not wanting to cry in front of him.

His eyes wandered all over her lifeless form. Pain, anger, and sorrow were consuming him whole. _Why… why… _one word kept echoing in his head as he cradled her cold body. It was like he was given something he didn't deserve and when he came to realize that he was lucky to have such blessing… it was brutally taken away from him…just like that.

He wound his arms around her limp body as he whispered the words he should've said to her from the moment he realized that she was the only girl for him.

Hearing Shikamaru's curses and sobs, the pink hared kunoichi embraced her sand master as she remembered…

_Flashback…_

"Why didn't you tell him Ino?" she asked her best friend the day after her diagnosis was confirmed. "I really can't die yet without feeling his love for me Sakura. I was crazy for Sasuke but that was just an excuse… ever since I met him back in kinder garden… I... I don't want to hurt him. I just… don't want to have any regrets in the end. In truth, I didn't tell him because… when he finds out I want him to hate me… and soon… forget me because being left behind is more painful than leaving…"

_End of Flashback…_

_A/N: This fanfiction is dedicated to a very important person in my life. I'll never forget you… rest peacefully. _


End file.
